AAP

The local share market has rebounded as investors cling to hopes the US and Iran might soon return to the negotiating table rather than resume their war.

Australia's second-largest bank has warned that the Middle East conflict has dented the earnings contributions from one of its internal businesses.

A coalition plan to end non-discriminatory immigration has been criticised as a desperate appeal to One Nation supporters, as legal experts warn it risks politicising a robust system.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite indexes have rallied more than one per cent as investors appeared hopeful that a ‌resolution to the Middle East war could be found.

The Australian share market has fallen after Middle East peace talks broke down at the weekend and the United States said it would begin its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia has not been asked to help stop ships travelling through the critical Middle East waterway and doesn't expect to be, the prime minister says.

US stocks have closed ‌mixed, with investors pressing pause as they headed into the weekend and kept an eye on ongoing Middle East peace negotiations.

Australia's share market has notched its best week since October 2022, despite slipping ahead of key US-Iran ceasefire talks and with little sign Iran's Hormuz Strait blockade is easing.

Australia's largest supplier of refined fuel will continue to provide petrol and diesel amid global uncertainty as part of a new agreement.

Anthony Albanese will hold talks with his Singaporean counterpart, hoping to shore up fuel supplies amid Middle East uncertainty.

US stocks rose Thursday, even though oil prices did too, as financial markets moved more modestly a day after surging on optimism about a ceasefire in the war with Iran.

Australia's share market has edged slightly higher, as a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran hangs in the balance and a key oil transit route remains restricted.

Australians are being warned not to expect an immediate drop in fuel prices, as a 'fragile' ceasefire between Iran and the US nears breaking point.

Australia has called on Israel to end its attacks on Lebanon after a ceasefire deal was struck with Iran, warning that any ongoing fighting puts the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz at risk.

Australia's share market is trading at its highest level since early March after the US and Iran struck a two-week ceasefire, easing soaring oil prices and boosting investor confidence.

Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith will remain in custody for months after being charged over multiple alleged war crimes.

Iran's foreign minister says ships will be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over the next two weeks under co-ordination from Iran's military.

The local share market has backed off from an early rally, with oil prices inching higher before a US ultimatum to Iran to make a deal or face further attacks on civilian infrastructure.

UPDATED: Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith will spend the night behind bars after being charged with the murder of unarmed Afghan civilians.

One of Australia's biggest banks will no longer require several identity documents every time you open an account after a technology change.

The war in the Middle East will lead ‌to higher inflation and slower global growth, says the head of the International Monetary Fund ahead of next week's global forecast for the world economy.

US stocks drifted higher in hesitant trading on Monday, ahead of a deadline that President Donald Trump has set to bomb Iranian power plants.

Aussie shares have tumbled and oil is surging, after US President Donald Trump threatened to send Iran "back to the Stone Ages" while declaring his military campaign nearly complete.

Thirty-five countries will meet to discuss ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, weeks after the key shipping route was closed by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday, with strong gains in Alphabet and other heavyweights, after US President Donald Trump suggested an end to the ‌Middle East conflict could be close.

Australia's share market has bounced sharply on optimism the US will wind down its military campaign against Iran, but doubts remain and aftershocks from the conflict are likely to linger.

US stocks surged to their best day since last spring, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,125 points on Tuesday as doubt swung back to hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran.

The Australian share market has closed higher following reports US President Donald Trump is willing to wind up its military campaign against Iran without first reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Australians will need to wait for weeks before fuel-price relief flows through to the bowser under a cut to the fuel excise.

Surcharge fees on debit and credit card transactions will be ditched, despite strong opposition from businesses.

US stocks swung Monday as oil prices kept climbing because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran could end.

The Australian share market has fallen again after oil rose to near a four-year high, amid fears another strategic Middle East waterway could become an energy choke point.